Behind the Scenes: Scary Truths About Cancer Research and Healthcare Inequities

So for nine months last year I worked in cancer research, and here are some of the scariest facts that I found out. Also to break down some of the misinformation too, cause there’s a lot of it out there. First things first, is there already a cure for the rich? The answer is no. Um, is actually an overarching term for more than 100 different diseases, lots of which we actually don’t know what cause. However, the reason you might see less rich people dying from cancer is that the treatment is simply so much better the more money you have. Although I don’t have a precise number, the amount of treatments that are available in the NHS compared to going private, for example, is scarily different. It’s simply because treatments are so expensive, the NHS simply can’t afford them. Which leads me very nicely onto my next point. The price of making drugs. Cost of making a new drug is currently anywhere between 300 million and 2.8 billion. And yeah, you heard that right, that is per drug. So next time you see a drug on the market, just know that someone could have literally bought football club for the same price that they produce that for. And that is also why niche drugs that potentially could cure someone don’t get made, is because it costs so much money. No. 3. And this is one that always kind of saddens me. Academic science is so poorly underfunded. When I Went into a lab, I was expecting the cleanest, the best, the most high quality equipment available. But honestly, when I got there, the labs are often very dirty because they can’t afford someone to clean them. And a lot of the equipment is broken because, again, they can’t afford to replace it. Again, that doesn’t mean the research is any less high quality, but unless it’s industry, you might not have any money. But, uh, yeah, that’s that. Um, I think this stuff is really interesting. If you want a third part, let me know, and I’ll make a part three.